2 weeks ago
India's space start-ups jump from 1 to 400, conference hears
India is a country where lots of new space companies are being started.
In 2022, there was only one space start-up.
By 2026, there are more than 400 of them.
These companies help build satellites that can connect people to the internet from space.
A group called the Broadband India Forum held a big meeting about satellite communication.
At the meeting, people talked about how satellites can connect directly to phones.
They also talked about keeping satellite networks safe from hackers, because one satellite system called KA-SAT was attacked in 2022 without the hackers even touching the satellite.
The people at the meeting hope space will make up 8 percent of India's worth by 2033.
Space is becoming a very big deal in India!
India's space start-up base grew from one start-up in 2022 to more than 400 in 2026.
The industry is targeting an 8 percent share of India's GDP by 2033, up from 2 percent at present.
The Broadband India Forum hosted the 10th India SatCom conference in New Delhi, themed around satellite communications as an enabler of digital inclusion.
Two white papers were released, covering Direct-to-Device (D2D) integration and cybersecurity in satellite networks ('Trusted from Space to Ground').
The satellite communications segment is projected to grow to $25 billion by 2028, with the cybersecurity paper citing the February 2022 KA-SAT attack and warning of AI and quantum computing risks.
- Who
- The Broadband India Forum (BIF) hosted the conference, with addresses from Abhay Karandikar (NITI Aayog), Manish Sinha (Department of Telecommunications) and Sophia Nestius-Booth (British High Commission in India).
- What
- Release of white papers on Direct-to-Device (D2D) integration and satellite network cybersecurity, alongside figures showing India's space start-up boom and an 8 percent GDP share target by 2033.
- Where
- New Delhi, India.
- When
- Tuesday, during the 10th edition of BIF's India SatCom conference in 2026.
- Why
- To discuss satellite communications as an enabler of digital inclusion and support informed policy discourse on innovation, security, interoperability and a future-ready satcom ecosystem.
Key facts
- Space start-ups in India
- Grew from 1 in 2022 to more than 400 in 2026
- GDP share target
- 8 percent by 2033, up from 2 percent at present
- SatCom market projection
- $25 billion by 2028, per the Broadband India Forum
- Conference
- 10th India SatCom conference hosted by BIF in New Delhi
- White papers released
- Direct-to-Device (D2D) integration; 'Trusted from Space to Ground' on cybersecurity
- KA-SAT attack cited
- February 2022; knocked out service for several thousand users in Ukraine and tens of thousands across Europe
- Quantum-safe migration proposal
- February 2026 Indian task force proposed critical infrastructure migrate to quantum-safe systems by 2029
Quotes
Abhay Karandikar
Member, NITI Aayog
“Satellite communication is witnessing a remarkable phase of technological evolution,”
theprint.in
“Satcom is an indispensable complement to terrestrial and mobile networks,”
theprint.in
Sophia Nestius-Booth
Director of Science and Technology, British High Commission in India
“The partnership in telecoms and satellite technology continued to grow “in both ambition and opportunity””
theprint.in
Sources
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